Fiji

noun:

Fijian(s)

adjective:

Fijian

total:

31.6 years (2024 est.)

male:

31.4 years

female:

31.8 years

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.86 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

9.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

11.1 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

8.1 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

74.8 years (2024 est.)

male:

72.2 years

female:

77.6 years

total:

2.71 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

1.64 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.79 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

23.1% (2020 est.)

male:

35.6% (2020 est.)

female:

10.5% (2020 est.)

women married by age 15:

0.2%

women married by age 18:

4%

men married by age 18:

1.7% (2021 est.)

• the widespread practice of waste incineration is a major contributor to air pollution in the country, as are vehicle emissions in urban areas;
• deforestation and soil erosion are significant problems;
• a contributory factor to erosion is clearing of land by bush burning, a widespread practice that threatens biodiversity

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

urban population:

58.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.37% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

7.36 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

2.05 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.95 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

189,390 tons (2011 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

10,322 tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

5.5% (2013 est.)

municipal:

30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Fiji

conventional short form:

Fiji

local long form:

Republic of Fiji (English)/ Matanitu ko Viti (Fijian)

local short form:

Fiji (English)/ Viti (Fijian)

etymology:

the Fijians called their home Viti, but the neighboring Tongans called it Fisi, and in the Anglicized spelling of the Tongan pronunciation - promulgated by explorer Captain James COOK - the designation became Fiji

name:

Suva (on Viti Levu)

geographic coordinates:

18 08 S, 178 25 E

time difference:

UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

the name means "little hill" in the native Fijian (iTaukei) language and refers to a mound where a temple once stood

history:

several previous; latest signed into law 6 September 2013

amendments:

• proposed as a bill by Parliament and supported by at least three quarters of its members, followed by referral to the president and then to the Electoral Commission, which conducts a referendum;
• passage requires approval by at least three-quarters of registered voters and assent by the president

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Fiji

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

at least 5 years residency out of the 10 years preceding application

chief of state:

President Ratu Wiliame KATONIVERE (since 12 November 2021)

head of government:

Prime Minister Sitiveni Ligamamada RABUKA (since 24 December 2022)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament

elections/appointments:

• president elected by Parliament for a 3-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 22 October 2021 (next to be held in 2024);
• prime minister endorsed by the president

election results:

2021: Ratu Wiliame KATONIVERE elected president; Wiliame KATONIVERE (People's Alliance) 28 votes, Teimumu KEPA (SODELPA) 23 votes; 2018: Jioji Konousi KONROTE reelected president (unopposed)

description:

unicameral Parliament (55 seats; members directly elected in a nationwide, multi-seat constituency by open-list proportional representation vote with a 5% electoral threshold; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 14 December 2022 (next to be held in 2026)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - FijiFirst 42.5%, People's Alliance 35.8%, NFP 8.9%, SODELPA 5.1%, other 7.7%;
• seats by party - FijiFirst 26, People's Alliance 21, NFP 5, SODELPA 3;
• composition - men 50, women 5, percentage women 9.1%

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, all justices of the Court of Appeal, and judges appointed specifically as Supreme Court judges);
• Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, all puisne judges of the High Court, and judges specifically appointed to the Court of Appeal);
• High Court (chaired by the chief justice and includes a minimum of 10 puisne judges; High Court organized into civil, criminal, family, employment, and tax divisions)

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice appointed by the president of Fiji on the advice of the prime minister following consultation with the parliamentary leader of the opposition;
• judges of the Supreme Court, the president of the Court of Appeal, the justices of the Court of Appeal, and puisne judges of the High Court appointed by the president of Fiji upon the nomination of the Judicial Service Commission after consulting with the cabinet minister and the committee of the House of Representatives responsible for the administration of justice;
• the chief justice, Supreme Court judges and justices of Appeal generally required to retire at age 70, but this requirement may be waived for one or more sessions of the court;
• puisne judges appointed for not less than 4 years nor more than 7 years, with mandatory retirement at age 65

subordinate courts:

Magistrates' Court (organized into civil, criminal, juvenile, and small claims divisions)

• Fiji First
• Fiji Labor Party or FLP
• Freedom Alliance (formerly Fiji United Freedom Party or FUFP)
• National Federation Party or NFP
• People's Alliance
• Peoples Democratic Party or PDP
• Social Democratic Liberal Party or SODELPA
• Unity Fiji

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ilisoni VUIDREKETI (since 17 June 2024)

chancery:

1707 L Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (917) 208-4560

FAX:

[1] (202) 466-8325

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.fijiembassydc.com/

chief of mission:

Ambassador Marie DAMOUR (since 24 November 2022); note - also accredited to Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu

embassy:

158 Princes Road, Tamavua, Suva

mailing address:

4290 Suva Place, Washington DC 20521-4290

telephone:

[679] 331-4466

FAX:

[679] 330-2267

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://fj.usembassy.gov/

• light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag;
• the blue symbolizes the Pacific Ocean and the Union Jack reflects the links with Great Britain;
• the shield - taken from Fiji's coat of arms - depicts a yellow lion, holding a coconut pod between its paws, above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George;
• the four quarters depict stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, a banana bunch, and a white dove of peace

total World Heritage Sites:

1 (cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Levuka Historical Port Town

• upper-middle income, tourism-based Pacific island economy;
• susceptible to ocean rises;
• key energy and infrastructure investments;
• post-pandemic tourism resurgence;
• improved debt standing;
• limited workforce

agriculture:

8.3% (2023 est.)

industry:

16.1% (2023 est.)

services:

52.9% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

15.2% (2023 est.)

male:

11.7% (2023 est.)

female:

22.1% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

3.5% (2019 est.)

highest 10%:

24.2% (2019 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

consumption:

2.1 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

2.1 metric tons (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• Fiji is the leading market to watch in terms of both LTE and 5G development in the region;
• the market boasts relatively sophisticated, advanced digital infrastructure, with telcos’ heavy investment resulting in the country having the highest mobile and internet subscriptions in the Pacific Islands region;
• LTE, LTE-A, and fiber technologies have received the most investment by the Fijian mobile operators, LTE now accounts for the largest share of connections in the mobile segment;
• concentrating on the more highly populated areas, the operators are preparing for the next growth area of high-speed data;
• they also have 5G in mind, and are preparing their networks to be 5G-ready, anticipating an easier migration to the technology based on the relatively high LTE subscription rate;
• Fiji presents a challenging geographic environment for infrastructure development due to its population being spread across more than 100 islands;
• the majority of Fijians live on the two main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu;
• in July 2018, the two islands were linked by the Savusavu submarine cable system, which provides a more secure link in times of emergency weather events such as the regular tropical cyclones that often cause massive destruction to the area, including destroying essential infrastructure such as electricity and telecommunications equipment;
• notably, the December 2021 eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai submarine volcano in Tonga damaged the Tonga Cable which connects Fiji, and Tonga blocking the latter off from internet services;
• cable theft and damage of critical communications infrastructure has also become a concern in Fiji, prompting authorities to establish a joint task force to tackle the issue (2022)

domestic:

fixed-line nearly 5 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 110 per 100 persons (2021)

international:

• country code - 679;
• landing points for the ICN1, SCCN, Southern Cross NEXT, Tonga Cable and Tui-Samoa submarine cable links to US, NZ, Australia and Pacific islands of Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Fallis & Futuna, and American Samoa;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019)

• Fiji TV, a publicly traded company, operates a free-to-air channel;
• Digicel Fiji operates the Sky Fiji and Sky Pacific multi-channel pay-TV services;
• state-owned commercial company, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, Ltd, operates 6 radio stations - 2 public broadcasters and 4 commercial broadcasters with multiple repeaters;
• 5 radio stations with repeaters operated by Communications Fiji, Ltd;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available

number of registered air carriers:

2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 16

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

1,670,216 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

106.83 million (2018) mt-km

total:

597 km (2008)

narrow gauge:

597 km (2008) 0.600-m gauge

note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during the harvest season, which runs from May to December

total ports:

5 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

2

very small:

3

ports with oil terminals:

4

key ports:

Lautoka Harbor, Levuka, Malai, Savusavu Bay, Suva Harbor

• the RFMF is lightly armed and equipped;
• Australia has provided patrol boats and a few armored personnel carriers;
• it also provides logistical support for RFMF regional or UN operations;
• in recent years, China and the US have provided small amounts of equipment (2024)

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List — the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period, therefore Fiji was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List;
• for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/fiji/